March 8, 2022
While the sports industry has historically been dominated by men in terms of viewership and participation, the landscape is rapidly evolving as brands and businesses understand the value of women’s sports and its athletes and federations receive the recognition and representation they deserve.
A prime example was the 2019 Women’s FIFA World Cup, where interest and support for women’s football sky-rocketed and viewing figure records were broken. England vs USA semi-final became one of the most-watched TV sporting moments of the year with 11.7 million UK viewers!
This International Women’s Day & in recognition of Women’s History Month, Sport 24 celebrates the remarkable women who shook up the sporting world this past year and their inspirational stories …
RACHAEL BLACKMORE
In 2021, the inspirational Rachael Blackmore rewrote the history books with Minella Times to become the first female jockey to win the Grand National!
We have no doubt Blackmore will have paved the way for others in her field.
Who will win first place at the 2022 Grand National? Find out LIVE onboard on 9th April!
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SIMONE BILES
In 2021, Simone Biles proved that mental health is just as important as physical health when she took a break from competing at Tokyo 2020.
It was an important lesson for athletes (both male and female) to recognise the synergies between the two and be honest with how they’re feeling, to then perform at their best.
Biles still managed to come away with two more medals to add to her collection, bringing her Olympic medal count to a total of 7!
NAOMI OSAKA
Osaka is not only one of the greatest tennis players of all time but consistently uses her platform to address social issues at the centre of the world’s fight for equality.
In 2021, Osaka won the ESPY award for Best Female Athlete, proving that she’ll be an inspiration to many for years to come, just like fellow tennis players Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sloane Stevens.
You can enjoy watching Naomi Osaka compete at Wimbledon 2022, LIVE on Sport 24 & Extra!
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CHLOE KIM
Even if you don’t follow snowboarding, we’re guessing you’ve probably heard of Chloe Kim.
In 2018, at 17 years old Chloe became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal. At the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, she added to her medal count by defending her title & winning another gold “ becoming the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in halfpipe.
With 6 gold medals under her belt, we can’t wait to see her career grow and how she inspires the next generation!
EMMA RADUCANU
Raducanu needs no introduction.
As the reigning US Open champion, after becoming the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade in 1977 AND being crowned BBC SPOTY in 2021, we’ve no doubt of the impact she’s had on the tennis world in such a short space of time.
Winning the US Open is no mean feat, but in doing so she also became the;
First qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam
Youngest women’s Grand Slam champion since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004
Youngest Briton to win a Grand Slam title
First woman to win the US Open without dropping a set since Serena Williams in 2014
Where will we see her break boundaries next?
In an effort to support women’s sport every day & not just today, at Sport 24 we are constantly expanding our roster of women’s sports on the channel, so keep your eyes peeled across our website & social channels for announcements to come later this year¦
